Wake Me Up When September Ends (Green Day) guitar tone and amp settings
Wake Me Up When September Ends guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3: Crunch amp type, medium gain (Gain 6), even mids (Middle 6), balanced lows (Bass 5), bridge pickup.
Settings for your amp
The song has distinct sounds: Acoustic intro, Reverb outro. Each rig below lists what to change for them.
Wake Me Up When September Ends settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3 settings for every songAmpBOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Variation
- Off
- Amp Type
- Crunch
- Gain
- 6
- Volume
- 6
- Bass
- 5
- Middle
- 6
- Treble
- 5
- Booster
- 0
- Mod
- 0
- FX
- 0
- Delay
- 0
- Reverb
- 0
- Master
- Set to your room
- Power Control
- Set to your room
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 7
An acoustic guitar would better reproduce the intro’s natural resonance.
Wake Me Up When September Ends settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40
Positive Grid Spark 40 settings for every songAmpPositive Grid Spark 40
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Amp Type
- Crunch
- Gain
- 6.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 6.5
- Treble
- 6
- Master
- Set to your room
- Mod
- 0
- Delay
- 0
- Reverb
- 0
- Output
- Set to your room
- App Amp Model
- Plexiglas
- App Drive
- Off
- App Comp/Wah
- Off
- App Mod/EQ
- Off
- App Delay
- Off
- App Reverb
- Plate Long
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 7
An acoustic guitar would make the intro more convincing.
Wake Me Up When September Ends settings on a Fender Mustang LT25
Fender Mustang LT25 settings for every songAmpFender Mustang LT25
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Amp Model
- 70S ROCK
- Gain
- 5.7
- Volume
- 5
- Treble
- 6.5
- Bass
- 4.5
- Middle
- 6.5
- Master
- Set to your room
- Stomp
- None
- Mod
- None
- Delay
- None
- Reverb
- None
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 7.5
An acoustic guitar will better reproduce the intro’s natural acoustic character.
Wake Me Up When September Ends settings on any amp with Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble
Amp
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Gain
- 7.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 7
- Treble
- 6
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 7
Add an acoustic guitar and reverb pedal for the intro and outro.
Song parts
BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
Acoustic intro:
Amp Type Acoustic, Gain 2, Pickup Selector Neck
.Play the arpeggio gently and let each note ring.
Reverb outro:
Reverb Color Orange, Reverb 5
.Let the final notes ring out into the reverb.
Song parts
Positive Grid Spark 40
Acoustic intro:
Amp Type Acoustic, App Amp Model Pure Acoustic, Pickup Selector Neck, Tone 8
.Pick the arpeggio gently and let each note ring
Reverb outro:
Reverb 7
.Let the final notes sustain and fade into the reverb
Song parts
Fender Mustang LT25
Acoustic intro:
Amp Model 50S TWIN, Gain 2, Pickup Selector Neck
.Pick the arpeggio gently and let each note ring.
Reverb outro:
Reverb LARGE HALL
.Let the final notes ring out into the reverb.
Song parts
Any amp with Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble
Acoustic intro:
Gain 2, Pickup Selector Neck, Volume 7
.Arpeggiate softly; this clean electric only approximates acoustic.
Reverb outro:
Gain 5
.Let notes ring; an external reverb is needed for the tail.
Why it sounds like that
On American Idiot, the album this song comes from, Billie Joe Armstrong played mainly Gibson Les Paul Juniors with P90 pickups, which gave the guitars a raw, spiky sound. His other main guitar was a Les Paul Standard he calls Boobie. The amps were modified: a Marshall with an extra gain stage for a thick, crunchy tone, and a Park 75 with a version of the Dookie mod. A tweed Fender Tremolux covered the clean tones. The song opens with a humble arpeggio, evolves into a full-on freak-out with militarist rhythms, bells and electric guitar, and ends on reverberated guitar notes. This gear is named for the album as a whole, not for this song alone.
- Open with a humble arpeggio, as the song does.
- Build toward a full-on freak-out and bring the electric guitar in with it.
What amp did Billie Joe Armstrong use on Wake Me Up When September Ends?
- Guitar World says Armstrong's two primary guitars on the album were a Gibson Les Paul Junior and a Les Paul Standard he refers to as Boobie. (on the album American Idiot)[1]
- Guitar World says a Marshall nicknamed the Idiot Amp was modded with an extra gain stage on the album. (on the album American Idiot)[1]
- Guitar World says the album's second modified amp was a Park 75 with a version of Armstrong's Dookie mod in it. (on the album American Idiot)[1]
- Guitar World says a tweed Fender Tremolux covered clean tones on the album. (on the album American Idiot)[1]
- Guitar World says that for American Idiot, Armstrong switched from his Blue guitar to mainly Les Paul Juniors. (on the album American Idiot)[2]
- Guitar World says the raw, spiky sound came from P90 pickups. (on the album American Idiot)[2]
- Acoustic intro: PopMatters says the song begins with a humble but heartbreaking arpeggio. (on this song)[3]
- Acoustic intro: PopMatters calls the song an acoustic guitar ballad at heart. (on this song)[3]
- PopMatters says the song evolves into a full-on freak-out with militarist rhythms, bells and electric guitar. (on this song)[3]
- Reverb outro: PopMatters says reverberated guitar notes keep sounding for a few seconds after the song ends. (on this song)[3]
Questions
What amp did Billie Joe Armstrong use on Wake Me Up When September Ends?
The sources on this page document Billie Joe Armstrong's gear on Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day: guitar, Gibson Les Paul Junior [1]; pickup, P90 [2]; amp, Marshall [1]. Each value cites the numbered source it comes from, listed at the foot of the page.
What are the Wake Me Up When September Ends settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3?
For the Wake Me Up When September Ends guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3, set Amp Type Crunch, Gain 6, Volume 6, Bass 5, Middle 6, Treble 5, Booster 0, Mod 0, FX 0, Delay 0, Reverb 0; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 7. Set Master and Power Control to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
What are the Wake Me Up When September Ends settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40?
For the Wake Me Up When September Ends guitar tone on a Positive Grid Spark 40, set Amp Type Crunch, Gain 6.5, Bass 5, Mid 6.5, Treble 6, Mod 0, Delay 0, Reverb 0, App Amp Model Plexiglas, App Reverb Plate Long; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 7. Set Master and Output to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
What are the Wake Me Up When September Ends settings on a Fender Mustang LT25?
For the Wake Me Up When September Ends guitar tone on a Fender Mustang LT25, set Amp Model 70S ROCK, Gain 5.7, Volume 5, Treble 6.5, Bass 4.5, Middle 6.5, Stomp None, Mod None, Delay None, Reverb None; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 7.5. Set Master to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
Can I get the Wake Me Up When September Ends tone on my own amp?
Yes. The settings above cover 3 reference amps and any amp with the basic controls. For your exact rig, KnobMaster, an iPhone app, sets every knob of your own amp, guitar and pedals for Wake Me Up When September Ends, using only the controls your gear has.
Get it for your exact rig
KnobMaster sets every knob of your own amp, guitar and pedals for this song.
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